Agricultural drones take flight after Health Canada pesticide approval
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Amanda Nelson
A Health Canada approval allowing pesticide application by remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), commonly known as drones, was granted in June, allowing farmers and small businesses across Southwestern Ontario to spray pesticides in accordance with the Pest Control Products Act and the Pest Control Products Regulations.
While Canadian farmers have been able to use drones for mapping, scouting and crop monitoring, the major regulatory hurdle has been using them to apply pesticides.
Now that new approvals have opened the door for drone-based pesticide applications, small business owners, such as Justin Shieck, owner and operator of Norfolk Drone Services, say they believe farmers can now utilize the technology for greater efficiency.
Shieck was initially taken off guard when he read the report stating that pesticide spraying via drone technology was approved back in June, something he thought he wouldn’t see until next year.
“There weren’t even signs that this was going to happen by the fall… we were taken completely off guard about the approval.”
Shieck says countries like China, the United States and Australia have been using drone technology in the agricultural sector for around 15 years, and yet Canada is just starting to see the value after getting feedback from competing countries.
“In the states, drones are treated as another aircraft,” he said. “What got me into this business was really watching how fast it expanded across the states and seeing YouTube video after YouTube video and news article after news article showing small businesses booming, with young 20-year-olds and different age groups of farmers enjoying what they’re doing and bringing a cheaper solution for farming.”
Shieck says he believes farmers throughout Canada will soon own and operate drones, similar to the way they own tractors, combines or other farming equipment. He says in farming, timing is everything when it comes to spraying pesticides or fertilizers.
“Do I see every farmer owning one, like a Swiss Army knife in their toolbox? One hundred per cent, because farming comes down to timing,” said Shieck. “Especially if you’re deploying it out of the back of your barn, you can hit timing windows when you really need to.”
Compared to small conventional tractors, drones can cover more ground in less time, at about 40 acres per hour. However, large self-propelled sprayers can cover more than 80 acres per hour. These large sprayers are often hard on fields and don’t allow for the same mobility as a drone.
The Health Canada report noted that drone application is often the most practical option when fields are soft, wet or too difficult for ground application equipment; when pest outbreaks occur late in crop growth; or for areas that are either too large or inaccessible for ground application.
“If it’s been raining a lot, I don’t think anyone’s pulling a rig through a field,” said Shieck. “Then once a canopy gets high, you can’t really spray beans or corn because it’s too tall. In the fall, I really see drones tackling the heavy canopies where you’re not getting that 25 per cent loss from driving over your beans.”
Although Canada is behind in its approval, Shieck says it’s not all bad news, and being able to track and assess what’s happening in other countries before the Health Canada approval has benefited the budget.
“Canada is cautious,” he said. “We take a more science-based regulatory approach than most places, and they do it for safety reasons. I would say it’s not a horrible thing that we were behind. Watching and allowing other countries to spend a lot of money on research while we sat back and collected data was valuable. Now we have some brands approved, and we’re not wasting that time or money on the trial and error they’ve already gone through.”
The report notes that the approval also aligns Canada with other countries like the United States and Australia, helping Canadian agriculture stay competitive internationally during times when competitive prices are key.
“Using RPAS to apply pesticides can make farming more efficient by helping farmers protect crops while using fewer inputs - such as pesticides and other resources needed for crop production, including labour, fuel and equipment use,” reads the report. “This will support food security and help keep food affordable.”
Drone operation is regulated by Transport Canada, whereas the regulation of pesticides is under the jurisdiction of Health Canada. Transport Canada considers aerial drones to be aircraft, and all pilots must understand and follow Canadian Aviation Regulations.
The data show that the risks of applying pesticides by RPAS are generally similar to those of conventional aerial application. However, drones also have the potential to apply pesticides very precisely, similar to some ground-based spot treatments.
Health Canada also concluded that pesticide residues on food crops resulting from RPAS applications are not higher than those resulting from conventional application methods, making foods as safe as with conventional applications.
Shieck’s company, Norfolk Drone Services, offers agricultural drone services focused on precision spraying, spreading and mapping. Its main agriculture-related services include aerial spraying, granular spreading, mapping and aerial imagery, as well as drone sales, support and training.
The cost of a drone package varies, but Shieck says it is generally around $40,000 to $50,000 and includes multiple batteries and packages, including spray equipment that can be used for pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and biological products.
Shieck encourages anyone interested to visit his website or reach out to him directly at www.norfolkdroneservices.ca
Comments